Blog Reflection

I joked to a friend that when librarians graduate with their MLS, they get a working gladius as a symbol of their status in the library. I have no idea where this fiction came from or why I chose that particular sword.

When I had to keep a blog for this semester, I realized how incredibly unprofessional my personal blog is. It was clear that it was about time that I made a blog of my professional life as I grow into becoming a full-fledged librarian in the next year. This would demand a blog in which I could keep track of the bits of librarianism that catch my interest and through my trusty Google Reader, keep track of my colleagues.

The most positive part of this experience was wrestling with my two behemoth subjects for the semester, Youtube and Wikipedia. At times I was frozen at the size of the subjects and couldn’t figure out what to post a few times a week. There was just too much. Some posts just sat in my queue for a week or more, while I tinkered with them to get them just right. While I tinkered with that post, more news would come out that would make for juicier posting. It was a good kind of problem to have.

The other great part of this kind of assignment is how it creates a sea of colleagues who are all blogging. We can keep track of each other’s professional lives and keep in touch in a real and meaningful way. I have really enjoyed the way we have all gotten to teach one another about our two subjects this semester; it has been a real treat to get a bi-weekly tutorial or link and have a place to vent school-thoughts away from the clutches of WebCT.

I wish I had blogged more and gotten out of my deer-in-the-headlights syndrome and not sought after some kind of perfect post. There is an ease and a passion in how I post about gaming or personal stories and I would like to transfer some of that into this blog. As the Master’s becomes more and more complete, I am hoping that my blogging about my time in the library will become more second-nature.

This blog has to find its own voice. As my professional life takes shape, the blog will gain new purpose and interests. From my practicum to my fieldwork and on into my first job, this space will become honed and sharp, you know, like a gladius.